


To See In Color

by luucarii



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Gen, M/M, color blind!akira, inspired by an AU i found on Tumblr
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-29
Updated: 2017-10-23
Packaged: 2018-12-21 05:22:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11937201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/luucarii/pseuds/luucarii
Summary: *inspired by an soulmate AU I found on Tumblr by @haewynfirebow*Since he opened his eyes for the first time, Akira's always seen the world in shades of gray, shapes of black and white. Longing for it, he never thought he would ever see color. But when he's arrested and sent to Tokyo to serve his probation, he meets some interesting people that give him the ability to see the color he's wanted for so long.





	1. Electric Blue

**Author's Note:**

> Like mentioned before, this fic is inspired by an AU I found on Tumblr by @haewynfirebow
> 
> "You're born colorblind. Every time you meet a significant person in your life, you gain the ability to see a single color. Blue for your best friend, orange for your greatest rival, green for the one you consider a brother/sister/mentor, yellow for your enemies, pink is for your first significant crush but red is always the color you see when you meet your soulmate for the first time."

**April 11th**

 

Akira grabbed Ryuji’s arm and took off without a moment to intake the eerie air of the Palace. The boy let out a tired yelp but easily broke into a dash, swiftly surpassing Akira in only a few seconds. 

 

 _He’s just one giant ball of energy_ , Akira thought to himself with a chuckle. It was surprise he still had the strength to run. Just minutes before Ryuji, in all his blood-boiled hatred toward Shujin PE teacher/Palace owner Suguru Kamoshida, awakened to his Persona in the most painful way possible. Crying out in anguish as he ripped off his mask, Ryuji called upon the embodiment of his rebellion, the Persona Captain Kidd. He looked just about ready to collapse, his persistence the only thing keeping him on his feet.

 

It was difficult to see, as expected with it being Akira’s second journey into a Palace. Sixteen years of seeing the black and white shapes and sizes of the world, suddenly being thrown into a world — the Metaverse — with constantly shifting illusions, it was a wonder Akira could keep a level head with his pounding headache.

 

“This way!” Morgana hissed and Akira was thankful he had something to focus his vision on. The large-headed cat rushed forward, taking a sharp left turn, followed by a right. The clanging of suits of armor suddenly went faint and Ryuji skittered to a halt, gasping for air.

 

“God.” He panted, turning to face Akira who had his back to the door, holding his chest as he tried to slow his breathing, “holy shit. D-did we lose ‘em?”

 

Akira nodded, “I think so.”

 

Morgana crossed his paws, looking to the floor with a curious hum, “impressive. So Ryuji had the potential as well.”

 

Ryuji grinned before looking down to his outfit wide eyed. A large and heavy looking skull mask dressed the upper half of his face, he wore a black jacket with a thin tie and knee pads. He broke out into startled babbles that Akira was just barely to pick up.

 

“What the— When did I— I dunno whether to call this cool or just plain weird.” Ryuji shook his head and sighed before suddenly realizing the situation and leaping back into his short-tempered nature. “Wait a sec, what the hell was that all for, huh? Why’d we run? You saw me with my Persona, I can help you guys out now! We could’ve gone after Kamoshida and kicked his ass!”

 

“Did you see the amount of Shadows? We were outnumbered, you idiot!” Morgana snapped and his ears twitched for a second, “we were lucky to get out alive!”

 

“And plus, you just awoke to your Persona, you’re gonna feel the rebound soon.” Akira warned and Ryuji’s face froze. Akira had already noticed his lack of energy despite how fired up he seemed.”We should get out while we still can.”

 

Ryuji’s face hardened and Akira sympathized with him. Akira knew Ryuji wanted nothing more than to go and beat up Kamoshida for turning the whole school against him and naming him the “problem student,” permanently damaging his leg and ruining his future.

 

Ryuji nodded silently and proceeded to leap up the bookshelves toward the open air vent the two had used to escape yesterday.

 

“I’ve memorized their faces, you bastard.” He mumbled under his breath and looked back toward Akira who nodded in agreement.

 

\--

 

Ryuji looked down to his bowl of ramen and sighed, the steam heating his face slightly. He poked at it with his chopstick, swirling it around until his wrist came to a stop and he looked over at Akira who was shyly munching on his.

 

“Hey, man, I never got a chance to thank you, yanno?” Ryuji mumbled, blinking at his cup of soda.

 

Akira looked over and confusion set into his eyes, “what do you mean?”

 

“I mean, you saved my life. More than once and you’re also the one keeping me back from doing dumb shit.” Ryuji's lips curved into a smile. “You’re strong man, and I envy you. I’ve got your back from here on out.”

 

Akira grinned and laughed a bit when Ryuji flung an arm around and elbowed him. A voice echoed quietly in his head, a light and peaceful voice.

 

_“I am thou, thou art I. Thou hast acquired a new vow. It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity. With the birth of the Chariot Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power.”_

 

“Alright!” Ryuji nodded, suddenly his face beaming with determination, “we’re gonna take that bastard down together!”

 

Akira nodded before suddenly his head pulsed with an unfamiliar feeling. He shut his eyes, grabbing the side of his head and riding out the consecutive waves of pain. He’s had plenty of headaches in the past, this was nothing yet it felt so different. When his eyes opened, the world was different. It was mostly still black and white but outside the window he could clearly see the blue sky.

 

The _blue_ sky.

 

Akira nearly tripped out of his chair.

 

“Dude, are you okay?” Ryuji suddenly grabbed him by the arm to help steady him.

 

“T-the sky.” Akira spat out, barely able to form words, “t-the color…”

 

“Huh? Dude, what’re you on about?”

 

Akira grabbed his chest, blinking once, twice, three times if only to confirm it. He could see it. He could see color, one of them at least. Sixteen years of seeing the world in a pale gray and finally seeing why everyone would stare up at the sky in the park. Despite only seeing little patches through the window, the sky was a light blue. A beautiful blue.

 

Akira finally managed to catch his breath, unable to look away. He rummaged in his pocket for a few bills to pay for his ramen and stumbled outside.

 

He looked up to the sky and laughed, pure contentment racing through his veins.

 

It only took sixteen years and some odd stroke of luck, but Akira had finally seen a bright blue sky.


	2. Flaming Hot Pink

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the birth of the Lovers, comes the birth of a new color.

**April 15th**

 

Akira knew Ann was pretty, hell gorgeous was a fair route to describe her. He had been thinking about how her from the moment he laid eyes on her. Large eyes — Akira could finally see the crystalline blue of them — that held such kindness, a soft, puff of hair pulled into tight twin tails. She had thin lips that could easily tug you into smiling with her. Even without her model background, Ann was one beautiful girl, that was no lie.

 

Now, with the Persona Carmen behind her, balls of flame appearing from her thin hands, Akira could see the passion in those beautiful blue eyes. Hands clenched into tiny fists, lips pressed into a tight line, her normal light and cheerful voice hard and laced with determination. She was beautiful as she was fierce. 

 

“You stole everything from Shiho. You destroyed her!” Ann raised one of her clenched fists and pointed down at the quivering Kamoshida, hiding behind one of his henchmen, “I will rob you of everything!”

 

The main Shadow protecting Kamoshida merged into the ground and reappeared as a large demon, giving the Palace ruler ample time to scurry off. Ann readied herself and her Persona, Akira, Ryuji and Morgana leaping into battle beside her.

 

“Let’s go, Carmen!”

 

\--

 

Ann limped out of the Metaverse, held tightly by Akira and Ryuji on both sides. She panted, raising her head as she attempted to walk on her own. Ryuji sighed and released his grip, shoving his hands in his pocket.

 

“I still can’t believe you were dumb enough to come back.” He grumbled under his breath and Ann chuckled in response.

 

“I did save you guys, didn’t I? Shouldn’t I be getting a thank you?” 

 

Ann blinked at Akira reassuringly as she tried to wiggle out of his arm. Akira chuckled, adjusting his glasses with one hand and slipping the other hand into his pocket. His face felt hot and he tried to shake it off, focusing his eyes on the signs of the subway station. Morgana poked his head out of Akira’s bag and huffed, catching both Ann’s and Ryuji’s attention.

 

“We would’ve been finished if not for you Lady Ann. I’m sure the boys are still choked up and they can’t figure out how to thank you properly.”

 

“Speak for yourself you stupid cat!” Ryuji hissed and crossed his arms, voice dropping down to a low mumble, “…but i guess you did kick a little ass. Thanks, Takamaki.”

 

“Yeah, thank you.” Akira smiled and Ann’s expression lit up.

 

“Alright! Let me know when you’re heading back into the other world so I can join in on the action too!” Despite how tired she should be, Ann shone with energy, pressing her fingers on her forehead where her mask would be.

 

“Wait, huh?” Ryuji stuttered, eyes wide, “you wanna come along?”

 

Ann nodded with a close-eyed smile, “yup. You saw it myself, I can fight for myself. And Kamoshida needs to pay for what he did to Shiho.”

 

“But you—“

 

“Ryuji.” Akira suddenly butt in and Ryuji clicked his tongue, “there’s no point trying to convince her now. It’s dangerous, yeah, but she’s got her own reason for fighting just like you and Morgana. We shouldn’t deprive her of that.”

 

Ann seemed taken aback by Akira’s words, unable to do anything besides blink silently at the black haired boy.

 

“Right as usual, Akira. Jeez.” Ryuji sighed rubbing the back of his neck before turning to face Ann, “alright, alright. Welcome to the group. No backing out, okay? If you’re going to be apart of the group you have to stick with us to the end, okay?”

 

Ann nodded, the same fierceness from before glowing in her eyes, “right.”

 

Akira smiled and felt Morgana twitch in his bag. Four Persona users all storming Kamoshida’s Castle in an attempts to steal his distorted desires — his Treasure. There was no doubt in Akira’s mind that they could do it now that Ann had official joined. They were stronger now, with both her fire skills and her healing skills.

 

Ryuji pulled out his phone and blinked at the screen. He slipped it back into his pocket and sighed, “mom wants me to pick up some groceries on the way home, I should go. Akira, make sure she gets home. And call us when you’re heading into the Palace.”

 

Akira nodded and watched Ryuji walk off, soon being buried by the crowds of people scrambling to get into subway cars. Ann leaned back against the wall and smiled. Her twin tails fell in her face and her blue eyes blinked gratefully.

 

“Thanks for before, Kurusu—Akira-kun. It meant a lot.” 

 

Akira grinned and shrugged his shoulders, suddenly feeling hot again despite the somewhat cool breeze in the station. Ann crossed her legs and clenched a fist.

 

“You know, back in the Palace, I was so scared. I felt so powerless. Seeing Kamoshida like that, hearing him saying all these things about what he did to Shiho. I was just tied up and I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t do anything to stop him and I couldn’t do anything to save Shiho.” She gulped and released her fist, “my Persona helped me realize it, but if it wasn’t for you calling out to me, I probably wouldn’t have heard Carmen in the first place. Thank you. I promise, I’ll protect you, Ryuji and Morgana from here on out!”

 

The voice, light and quiet, whispered in his head again.

 

_“I am thou, thou art I. Thou hast acquired a new vow. It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity. With the birth of the Lovers Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power.”_

 

“We’re happy to have you, Ann.” Akira chuckled and something hammered in his head. He winced quietly and held his head. It was happening again. The same feeling that pulsed through his head after his Confidant with Ryuji was established. 

 

“Akira, are you okay?” Ann suddenly shot up and reached for his arm when she realized he was stumbling a little bit.

 

“Yeah, I’m fine…I’ve been getting these headaches a lot. Nothing to worry about…” He drifted off. The world was still gray, save for a few flashes of blue from a few people wearing the color. His gaze drifted back to Ann, and he stiffened. Eyes narrowed onto her lips, they were pale but it was a pink. A faint light pink.

 

“A-Akira-kun…?” Ann whispered, suddenly feeling nervous.

 

“S-sorry. Y-your…” Akira opted not to finish the rest of that sentence. He gulped and looked away, a small hot pink keychain catching his attention. “I-It’s a nice keychain. I like the color.”

 

Ann blinked at him, “uh…r-right!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Although this chapter (pink being for a first significant crush) could have been for any one of the girls (if I didn't choose Ann, I would've gone for Haru) I figured the Lovers Confidant fit in well. Pink, love, Lovers, Ann, yeah I think you get the picture.
> 
> That's besides the point though, thank you for reading


	3. Blinding Orange

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ace Detective Akechi Goro takes great interest in the Phantom Thieves, and special interest in Kurusu Akira.

**June 10th**

 

“The Phantom Thieves should be tried in court.”

 

At that, Akira scoffed. 

 

“They do more than the police.” He had responded and watched Akechi Goro cock a curious eyebrow. Akira wanted to say more, but he opted to stay quiet. The almost deathly glare Ryuji gave could be enough to start setting off alarms in the detective’s head if Akira had begun listing reasons.

 

“How bold a statement.” Akechi chuckled and gave a smile that made the girls in the front row squeal in excitement. “Perhaps they do, but their means of doing so is unorthodox. ‘Stealing’ one’s heart, forcing a confession. It isn’t right.”

 

There were nods of agreement from heart-throbbing girls in the front row. It was no surprise how he had so many followers. Besides his work in the police field in being a high ranked detective, Akechi Goro was by no means a bad looking boy for his age of seventeen. Kind eyes, hair near shoulder length, a flashing smile and a voice that could only be described as _pleasant_.

 

The talkshow host turned to the camera and nodded, “after this break, we’ll be asking Akechi-san on his opinions on the current rumors of the Mafia surfacing around the streets of Shibuya.”

 

The camera cut off and the crowd broke off into scattered conversations. Most of them brushing on the topic of “Akechi-kun” and how “perfect he is.” Akira couldn’t help but listen in, curiosity took the best of him. He wondered how highly these people regarded Akechi and how famous he really was. Before today, Akira had never heard of him.

 

“I think Akechi-kun was looking at me!” One girl squealed and her friend beside her shook her head.

 

“In your dreams! He was definitely looking at me.” She sighed, “god, I could die happy if I could see that beautiful face every morning.”

 

Akira winced a bit. Did those girls not realize Akechi was just a few feet away? That he most likely could hear them? Akira sighed, this conversation would be useless to listen in to. He shifted his attention to two Shujin students who seemed to be engrossed in serious conversation.

 

“I don’t see why all the girls are in love with Akechi-kun. I mean, he’s not even that attractive.” One of them sneered and the other chimed in with a raised finger.

 

“Well, obviously to get his mostly female demographic of fans, he’s most definitely attractive. And plus, I hear he’s really smart. His ability to formulate plans and make deductions are what makes him so valuable to the police.”

 

“I hear he was an orphan. Must’ve crammed hard to pass his entrance exams. It’s always the guys with the ‘troubled pasts’ that get famous. Geez.”

 

Akira hummed curiously and a loud hiss from Ryuji forced him to shift his gaze to him.

 

“That goddamn Akechi. He doesn’t know a damn thing about what we’re doing. If it wasn’t for us, Kamoshida and Madarame woulda kept committing all these crimes and the police wouldn’t know anything about it! He’s thinks he’s so cool with his effin status, he’s nothing compared to us!” Ann had enough of a mind to give Ryuji a solid hit on the head and the boy groaned loudly. “What the hell, Ann?”

 

“You’re so loud! Jeez, it’s like you want to run up to him and scream, ‘hey, we’re the Phantom Thieves,’” Ann crossed her arms and Ryuji pouted in response.

 

“This is troublesome though,” Morgana mumbled through Akira’s bag, “with this, it’s safe to say the police are onto us. We need to be careful.”

 

“God, this is pissing me off!” Ryuji growled before stomping off. Ann watched him for a second and sighed, shaking her head and rubbing her temples.

 

“Ryuji!” She ran off after him and Akira sent a grateful smile. Morgana poked his head out of Akira’s bag and shook his head.

 

“I just hope Ryuji has some sort of sense. This is more than just us changing criminals hearts, the police are involved now—“ The cat cut himself off and dove back into Akira’s bag.

 

“Um, excuse me.” 

 

Akira turned around and smiled, meeting eyes with the boy that was the topic of many conversations throughout this social studies trip. Akechi Goro.

 

“Akechi-kun, hi.” Akira waved and Morgana shifted in his bag.

 

“I must say, your comment earlier surprised me.” Akechi smiled and Akira slipped his hands into pockets. “It’s been quite a while since someone has spoken their mind around me. It’s refreshing.”

 

“Akira, what are you doing with this guy? We need to go meet up with—“ Akira readjusted his bag and chuckled slightly when he heard Morgana yowl.

 

Akechi reached out a gloved hand and Akira shook it with a grin. “Kurusu Akira.”

 

Akechi chuckled and nodded, “if possible, I’d like to talk to you again.”

 

Akira responded with a smile, “if the opportunity ever arises.”

 

Akechi blinked at Akira and for a second there was a pleasant stillness in the air. Akira could hear jealous mutterings from girls behind him but he tuned them out quickly. The same quiet voice Akira had grown accustom to hearing echoed in his head.

 

_“I am thou, thou art I. Thou hast acquired a new vow. It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity. With the birth of the Justice Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power.”_

 

“You truly are interesting, Kurusu-kun. I look forward to our future meetings.” Akechi gave one last smile and waved before turning his back and making his way backstage. Judging by the crowd of girls behind Akira, Akechi was trying to get out before any crazy fangirls jumped him. Smart.

 

A sharp pain struck through his head and Akira hissed out a curse. A new bond, a new color. Though it was only specific to certain people. His bond with Sojiro and Yusuke didn’t awaken anything besides the ability to fuse more powerful Personas of the specific Arcana. Ryuji, Ann and now Akechi triggered _something_ in his brain that allowed him to see color, albeit only one. 

 

Akira sighed and blinked a few times. He looked up and was blinded for a split-second. From the main stage of the talkshow, bright orange lights shone in his face. He winced, and took a few seconds to adjust to it. He wondered how Akechi, or anyone for that matter, could deal with a color that bright.

 

“I dunno what you’re doing making friends with someone like him, but I suppose we could gain some information from him.” Morgana mumbled and Akira nodded.

 

“Besides that, you have to admit…he was kinda cute.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> w-what do you mean Akira isn't canonically bi?
> 
> okay. so. Akechi's going to be falling under the category of both "rival" and "soulmate." stuff goes down later and things will be explained hehe
> 
> either way, thank you for reading.


	4. Quirky Green

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akira gets promoted to key item

**August 21st**

 

“Nice job Akira! You lost her!” Morgana bit back a hiss as he poked his head out of Akira’s bag. His ears twitched uncomfortably. A large crowd swarmed the streets and the electronics store of Akihabara, all kicking and screaming at the mention of a sale on flat-screen tvs. Akira grinned sheepishly, sighing to himself as he began to search the crowd. _She was there just a second ago_ , Akira reminded himself, _she couldn’t have gone far._ How hard was it to lose a tiny ginger in an electronics store?

 

“Really easy, apparently.” He mumbled to himself and heard Morgana sigh behind him.

 

“She’s probably scared half to death! She’s only just got used to crowds…barely.” Morgana shook his head and swatted lightly at Akira’s head, “well, don’t just stand there! Start looking for her!”

 

Akira adjusted his glasses with one hand, tightened his grip on his bag and buried himself into the crowd, hoping to find at least a trace of the former hikikomori. He tried the manga department, and found plenty of people her age but not a single one had her striking orange hair. The video game department was full but there was word of a ginger suddenly breaking down crying into a little ball before security went to go retrieve her.

 

Akira rushed to the front entrance and sighed with relief. There she was, Sakura Futaba hugging herself as she stuttered out words to a security guard.

 

“Are you okay, little girl? What happened?” The security guard seemed nervous, awkwardly trying to sound sympathetic.

 

“I-I…It…” Futaba mumbled tearfully, rubbing her eyes.

 

“Futaba!” Morgana called and she turned to look up at Akira. She nearly broke down in tears then and there and rushed over to hide behind Akira. She gripped at the side of his school uniform and whimpered his name quietly.

 

“Do you know her?” 

 

Akira chuckled nervously, patting the girl’s head to calm her down, “she’s family. Sorry about that.”

 

The security guard narrowed his eyes at Futaba and asked for confirmation. She nodded quickly, not bothering to try to speak. The guard crossed his arms and seemed to be convinced so he gave the two a quick wave before walking off to go control the ever-growing crowd.

 

“Futaba, what happened?” Morgana popped his head out and Futaba looked down to her feet in embarrassment.

 

“I thought I could handle it, Akira! I really did!” She sighed and her grip tightened. “But then, the crowd started getting bigger and bigger and then I couldn’t find you and then it got harder to breathe and then I just curled up into a ball and…”

 

“Calm down, calm down.” Akira reassured her with a gentle ruffle of her hair, “I’m here, okay?”

 

“It’s not fair,” Futaba whined, gripping his side tighter, “you’re so calm and collected, I’m so jealous.”

 

"Well you know Akira, he's as calm as they get." Morgana let out muffled purr, "but either way you're still getting used to crowds. You can't just jump into the deep end."

 

Futaba released her grip but insistently stood at Akira's side, hands gripped tightly behind her back. Her tiny chest rose and fell with steady breaths and she let out an awkward chuckle.

 

"It's not so bad over here." A faint blush crept up her cheeks and she looked down to her feet. "It feels like I can breathe easy around you."

 

"Well that good. You did try to kill us in your Palace so I'm glad you're warming up to me." Akira teased and she looked up at him with an eye narrowed pout. 

 

"You're never gonna let me live that down, huh?" She hissed and then suddenly gasped, "you're doing it again!"

 

"Wha?"

 

"You're doing that thing, that thing that makes me feel calm around you!" 

 

"You make it sound like a bad thing." Akira chuckled and Futaba scooted closer than before and sighed in contentment.

 

"Hmhmhm!" She looked up at him and a mischievous look glimmered in her eyes, "key item obtained: Kurusu Akira. Has the ability to calm the protagonist in any situation."

 

Akira blinked down at her, eyebrow raised and mused a chuckle, "w-what did you call me?"

 

"You're my key item." She mumbled and then drifted off, awkwardly lacing her fingers together, "unless you don't want to be?"

 

Akira chuckled and Futaba looked up at him, her voice tainted with anxiety, "please, Akira? You're the only person I think I feel comfortable around..."

 

She had an almost child-like longing in her eyes, and seemed to be back to her normal quirky self besides her obvious nervousness. Akira gave her ginger hair another ruffle with one hand and she pouted in response. He patted her once more before slipping his hands into his pockets and smiling at the large crowd still fighting over spots in line.

 

“Guess I’ve been promoted to key item instead of a disposable.” 

 

In his head, he counted down the seconds before the voice began to speak quietly on cue. Akira wondered if this time, he’d be granted a new color.

 

“ _I am thou, thou art I. Thou hast acquired a new vow. It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity. With the birth of the Hermit Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power.”_

 

“Alright. Let’s head home. Sojiro’s probably worried about me and this has been enough of an adventure. Need to get some rest and recharge!”

 

Akira nodded along, ignoring the sharp pain in his head. It was if his brain thumped to a strikingly annoying beat and his eyes suddenly felt tired. He closed them for a second, sighed, and opened them.

 

“Earth to Akira? You good?”

 

“Too much noise. Come on, let’s head back.”

 

Futaba nodded before trotting off ahead, always making sure Akira was at least a few feet behind her. Akira followed behind, hands fidgeting in his pockets. For a moment, Akira believed nothing had changed. He still saw the normal blue, pink and orange as usual. It only took a second look at Futaba to notice the olive _green_ of her jacket.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> holy shit. where have I been? why is the ending of this chapter kinda ass?  
> that's because, my lovely beautiful readers: school is a thing that exists and I attend it for about the next two years until I graduate.  
> i'm sorry for the near week long wait and I can't tell you an estimate for the final chapter because 1. I haven't started writing it yet and 2. school has been bombarding me with work so I don't even know if I'll be able to get started.  
> aah sorry for the mini rant here but it's just a little explanation as to why I've been gone.  
> anyway thank you for reading!!


	5. Rival Turned Enemy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akechi Goro becomes more than just a Confidant, more than a rival.

**November 3rd**

 

Akira and the Thieves knew there was ulterior motive behind that pleasant smile. It lingered too long to be normal, almost as if it was forced. Behind his smile, the excited squeaks — which were admittedly adorable to Akira — he would let out anytime Akira let him into fights, and his overly eager desire to change Niijima’s heart, there was something there. It was all suspicious. From the day they met, Akechi Goro was always a bit suspicious — and cute — to Akira. The pancake conversation initiated by Morgana, which Goro subconsciously joined in, rose alarms in the Thieves’ heads. After piecing together some information and filling in the rest thanks to Futaba hacking into Akechi’s phone, his plan to kill arrest Akira and the rest of Thieves was exposed.

 

Akira knew he probably shouldn’t be alone with him. Spending a crisp afternoon walking around Inokashira Park with a seventeen year old boy who was almost confirmed to kill him probably wasn’t the best way to spending a Thursday after school.

 

“Thank you again for joining me, I know you’re busy studying for finals.” Akechi smiled, watching Akira shove his hands in his uniform pocket.  They walked slowly, matching the pace of the calm autumn air. Leaves crunched under their feet, tiny clouds of breath puffed near their lips.

 

Akira shook his head and reassured him with a grin, “nah, I still have a few months left.”

 

“Ah, can I assume that you’re one of those students that waits until the last minute to start studying?” Akechi raised an eyebrow and a smirk tugged at his lips. Akira laughed in response, shaking his head again.

 

Akira shushed him with a playful elbow to the side, “not everyone can be as smart as Japan’s Ace Detective, don’t tease a commoner like me.”

 

“So you admit it, interesting.” 

 

Akira scoffed, “you’re just good at making people confess. Don’t get cocky, detective, there’s still a bunch of things you don’t know about me.”

 

Akira smirked at the way Akechi fell silent. Despite their near five months of knowing each other, conversing and now his almost constantly being around since his recent join of the Phantom Thieves, Akechi didn’t really know much about Akira. For the most part he was fairly silent, but the few times he did speak there was this almost quiet curiousness in his voice. Besides the few ventures into Niijima’s Palace where he got to see Akira let loose and be his true self in the form of the cocky, flashy, unnecessarily bombastic Joker, Akira was unknown to Akechi, mysterious. And Akechi couldn’t figure out whether he liked that or not.

 

“True.” Akechi mumbled to himself and mentally kicked himself for asking, “well, we’re opening the day together, aren’t we? Might as well tell me about yourself.”

 

“How cute, you’re curious.”

 

Akechi sighed, curling a few stands of hair behind his ear and blinking down at his feet as he walked. “I suppose that’s pay back for earlier. You’re quite the tease Kurusu-kun.”

 

“So I’ve been told,” Akira straightened his back and walked closer to him, shoulders brushing occasionally, “well, ask away, detective.”

 

Akechi hesitated a bit, trying to piece together words. He figured it would be a sensitive subject but his curiosity got the best of him. “Your probation, tell me about it.”

 

“No punches pulled there. Though, you could easily look that up in the police files, couldn’t you?” Akira cocked an eyebrow and Akechi quickly shook his head. If that were possible, he would have done it the minute he learned of Akira’s arrest.

 

“Not here in Shibuya. You were arrested in your hometown and I don’t have access to the information on arrests made there unless they pertain to cases here.” 

 

Akira snickered, “well doesn’t my arrest tie in here? Since you know, the case on the Phantom Thieves and me being their leader and all.”

 

“Shush, unless you’d want me to reveal your secret?” Akechi meant it purely as a joke and at first he saw Akira crack a smile but there was a defensive look in his eyes. His body twitched subconsciously and Akechi’s face hardened a bit.

 

“Right, sorry, sorry.” Akechi murmured, coughing into his gloved hand, “forgive me but sometimes I forget I joined the Phantom Thieves the way I did. I know I’m still an outsider and I know you all must be a little wary of me.”

 

“You’re apart of us, okay?” Akira suddenly stopped and assured him with a thick seriousness in his voice, “doesn’t matter the way you joined, doesn’t matter that you’ve only been here for a little more than a week. You’re a Phantom Thief, got it?”

 

Akechi gulped down a “but,” and sighed, heart welling up with some sort of warm fuzzy feeling he couldn’t distinguish. He blinked up at Akira and smiled, mumbling a “thank you,” before nudging his head and starting to walk once again. Akira nodded, and snickered, almost proud of himself for seeing a genuine smile before catching up with Akechi, ready to retell the story of how one good deed landed him with a criminal record and across the country.

 

\--

 

**November 19th**

 

 

“I owe you all for this… Thanks.”

 

Akira knew it was going to happen. He expected it, he was ready for it internally but he still had to catch his breath when he saw Akechi slyly grab the security guard’s pistol and kill him. His expression was dark, no playful light in his eyes.

 

Akira stayed silent, anything he said could end his life too quickly before the plan went into effect.

 

A smirk tugged at Akechi's lips, “that’s right. You and your little friends were vital to our plan. And now, it will be completed.”

 

Our. _Our_. He was working for someone.

 

“Your popularity was quite stunning.” His next sentence seemed almost forced, and his eyes closed as if to look away in shame, “that just made using you all the more worthwhile.”

 

Akira tried to stay still but the sudden thump in his head made him jerk forward slightly. Something happened, the bond had grown deeper, though Akira could faintly wonder why. He didn't have time to think, Akira soon found that thin pistol pointed at the bridge in his forehead, the cold steel sending shivers down his spine.

 

“Have you finally pieced it all together?” Akechi whispered, “case closed, this is where your ‘justice’ ends.”

 

Akira heard his heart thumping, over and over, faster and faster until it halted. Akechi looked down at him with an almost comedically evil smirk. Akira didn’t even have time to gasp, to beg for mercy. Thin puffs of smoke escaped from the barrel of the gun.The trigger had been pulled and all feeling disappeared from Akira’s body.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i got a chapter up. that's all that matters aha.  
> yeah, this was originally gonna be 5 chapters but back then I had a different ending in mind (and a different person for the color yellow)  
> Akechi just fits every category man.  
> anyway, thank you for reading! once again, sorry about the delays!


	6. Crimson Red

**November 23**

 

The night was quiet. Akira curled up in his bed, gripping tightly at the layers of blankets that covered his body. Sleep wouldn’t come for him. Every time he closed his eyes he either saw the detectives holding the dripping needle of “truth serum” or the moment when his life ended at the hands of Akechi Goro. The memories came back in flashes and each with slight poundings of pain. The fresh bruises littering his skin were constant reminders of his punishment for “reforming society,” the throbbing pain in his head a reminder of the sign of betrayal from a boy he had wished he had gotten to know just a little better.

 

Beside him was Morgana, curled up into a fluffy ball while he snored quietly. Normally, the black cat would never be so close but tonight especially, it was obvious Akira didn’t want to be left alone what with the hell he had gone through earlier that day. A part of him wanted to forget it. To forget that he was forcibly drugged and beaten and forced to sign a confession admitting to all the crimes he did. To forget the betrayal caused by the boy who he hated admitting he had the slightest crush on. To forget everything just for a little while. But he knew he couldn’t. As leader of the Phantom Thieves, he couldn’t. The boy leading the rebellion against society couldn’t falter if he wanted to change the world.

 

“You okay?”

 

Akira shifted over, blinking at Morgana who had his eyes open half way, stifling a yawn. He stretched out a paw, gently tapping Akira’s shoulder.

 

“You’re usually out by this time of night.”

 

Akira said nothing, opting for silence to speak for him. He raised the blanket under his chin and tucked it under his body, trapping himself within the sheets and Morgana looked on with a sigh.

 

“Thinking about today?”

 

Once again, silence. Though it was only natural. Akira forced himself to stay silent during everything. During the abuse, through some of the interrogation and finally when Akechi vocally expressed his betrayal. When Sojiro had picked him up and when he had reunited with the Thieves, he still said nothing, he had gone completely mute. They did most of the talking anyway.

 

“Makes sense...”

 

Akira huffed quietly and his head turned up to the ceiling, his eyes focused on nothing in particular 

 

“I meant to bring this up earlier but I didn’t know if you’d feel comfortable talking about it in front of Futaba or Boss.”

 

Akira didn’t look over but he shifted in a way that almost seemed like a nod for him to continue. Morgana paused for a second, contemplating how to word his next sentence.

 

“Akechi…”

 

Akira stiffened. This was already going to end up bad.

 

“Your bond with him grew, didn’t it? When you two were in the interrogation room?”

 

Akira nodded and his lips curved. Ironic that murder would be what brought them closer. In a situation like that, if it weren’t for the pounding jolt in his head caused by whatever mysterious power was allowing him to see color, Akira would have most likely never had noticed that his bond had grown at all.

 

But why? What caused it so suddenly? And why was a new color — yellow, he had noticed by both Ryuji and Ann’s blonde hair blinding him for a second when he returned to Leblanc with Sojiro — unlocked at that very moment of his betrayal?

 

Those questions had his brain stumbling to piece together answers but Akechi’s actual betrayal confused him more. Everything seemed so perfectly planned from the moment the Phantom Thieves began picking up a reputation. Akechi began appearing on television more, talking about the Thieves, expressing his dislike for their methods and essentially proclaiming himself as the rival of the Phantom Thieves. After the events with Okumura, his sudden switch in opinion, allowing the Thieves to open up and trust him, even if just a little to achieve a common goal. And then, it all ended sloppily, so unlike how Akira expected it to.

 

Akechi Goro was intelligent. He wasn’t called an “Ace Detective” for no reason. Besides the pancake mistake that any of the Thieves could have brushed off (Ryuji most definitely did), the events leading up to his betrayal were awkward, rushed even. As if he knew what he had to do, yet he had no time to do it correctly.

 

Blackmail for one, a simple technique, effective but the timing was horrible. The minute his opinion and attention shifted to the Thieves, the minute he started supporting them is all of a sudden when he decides to approach them, threatening to reveal their identity if they didn’t change Niijima’s heart.

 

Rushed.

 

Akechi’s story on awakening his Persona. Believable at face value if the pancake conversation wasn’t taken into consideration. His almost innocent surprise at the Metaverse, despite all the knowledge he seemed to have.

 

Rushed.

 

His appearance in the interrogation room, his short mumbles of victory while he killed the police guard and Akira.

 

Rushed.

 

Akira already knew Akechi was working for someone. His use of the word “our” was enough to for his brain to start clicking. But who could this person be? What reason would they have for rushing Akechi? Why did they need the Phantom Thieves gone now when it could’ve been done ages ago after Akechi’s first suspicions? 

 

“Akira.”

 

Morgana broke his train of thought and Akira wished he hadn’t tucked himself under his blanket so he could give the cat a light push with his hand. He was onto something. Timing. Timing was important. It was how everything in this played out. Whoever commanded Akechi couldn’t have gotten rid of the Thieves that early, it would’ve screwed up all the timing. The Phantom Thieves needed to get popular. They needed their apex, just to fall and eventually be swept under.

 

The Phantom Thieves affected the media, affected society. Their aim was to steal the hearts of criminals and force them to confess their crimes. It was unorthodox but effective. Kamoshida, Madarame, Kaneshiro, three men who were to be considered scum were all sent away to repent for their crimes, Medjed stopped from wreaking havoc on Japan’s economy. The Phantom Thieves were saviors, protecting society from adults staining the world. Once Okumura’s death settled into the public, they were seen as killers, Thieves who used their past four “changes of heart” to practice for murder that could be, in theory, untraceable. The public can’t have murderers roaming around. Japan needed a savior. Someone who would capture the Phantom Thieves and restore order. Someone who would benefit from the added attention gained from “saving” Japan.

 

“Akira.”

 

Someone who could restore order to Japan.

 

“Akira.”

 

Someone who could—

 

“Go to sleep. You’ve been up too late, you need your rest.”

 

Akira nodded and turned onto his side, shutting his eyes closed. For a second, he didn’t see any detectives poking needles into his skin, nor the thin pistol at the bridge of his forehead. He pictured a man, dressed in a suit, speaking in front of a crowd.

 

He pictured a Diet Member.

\--

 

**December 16**

 

“Here, I’ll give you one last chance. Shoot them.” 

 

Akira felt his body begin to tremble, his grip on his knife faltering. His throat went dry, his mind turning circles in an attempt to think of a way out of this situation. Akechi, weak and beaten, barely standing, loosely holding his gun in his fingers. Across from him stood his Cognitive double, Shido’s vision of Akechi — a worthless, obedient puppet —holding a thin pistol aimed directly at his head.

 

“Don’t listen to him, Goro!” Akira hissed, though he knew it was all he could do at that moment. One single movement could mean the end of Akechi’s life. Each one of the Thieves stood on the tips of their toes, ready to act, ready to jump in and save the boy who had just tried to kill them just moments before. It was odd, thinking about it in their heads but regardless, Akechi was a Phantom Thief and he deserved the support of his teammates.

 

Goro raised his gun, pointing the barrel directly at Akira and he froze in place. Although it wasn’t his first time meeting the end of a gun, the sight alone sent shivers down his spine. He didn’t want to be here, he didn’t want Goro to be here. He just wanted everyone to get out safely, for Akechi to have more of a chance to explain himself and for him to rejoin the Thieves and steal Shido’s heart together.

 

“Yes,” his Cognitive double praised, “that is the you our Captain wishes to see.”

 

Goro looked on at Akira with a closed eyed smile, mumbling to himself, “don’t misunderstand. You’re the one who’s going to disappear.” In the span of less than a second, two bullets shot off. One landing through the Cognitive’s stomach and the other destroying the security panel across the room. Lights began to flash and the warning message from an automatic voice began to speak about the bulkhead door being ready to close.

 

No, no not like this.

 

“Goro!” Akira screamed, pounding on the door and Ryuji soon joined in, calling out to him from behind the wall in desperate cries. There was faint groaning, most likely from the double though Akira couldn’t rule out Goro himself considering his injuries.

 

“Hurry up and go!” Goro hissed, footsteps approaching the door slowly. Akira stepped forward, touching his side of the wall and pictured Goro, battered and beaten, barely keeping his weight up against the wall.

 

“You fool! Are you trying to get yourself killed?” Yusuke narrowed his eyes, voice cracking slightly.

 

He chuckled and Akira felt his heart beginning to crumble, “the real fools are you guys. You should’ve abandoned me a long time ago.”

 

“Like I was gonna do that.” Akira growled, hitting the wall one last time, to grab his attention, “dammit, dammit Goro.”

 

Goro’s voice weakened, “hey, Akira? Let’s make a deal. One last deal, okay?” Akira pressed his forehead against the wall, suddenly finding it hard to breathe. “You won’t say no, will you?”

 

“Don’t let it be our last one, please.” Akira begged.

 

“Change Shido’s heart, in my stead. End his crimes! Please!” Goro’s voice cracked and Akira began nodding before he even finished his sentence.

 

“I promise.” Akira whispered. He had so much to say then and there but he couldn’t fumble with the words and he knew everything would be pointless anyway. There was no way to open that door, he was trapped behind there.

 

“Akira… thank you for everything.”

 

Those words triggered something, an almost audible click inside Akira’s head. And for once, he hated hearing those words. The words he had heard when Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, all of the Thieves had fortified their bonds to their maximum level. Those words meant the end. The end of any future conversation with him, the end of any future being with him. Akira wanted to scream in protest. He got to see everyone else after completing their Confidant and Akechi Goro was going to be one, lone acceptation to that. 

 

It wasn’t fair.

 

_I am thou, thou art I. Thou hast turned a vow into a blood oath.Thy bond shall become the wings of rebellion and break the yoke of thy heart. Thou hast awakened to the ultimate secret of Justice, granting thee infinite power._

 

There were two gunshots, one after the other and Akira crumbled to the floor. He tuned out Ann and Haru, shouting at Morgana in attempts to find someway to open the door and he wished he had tuned out Futaba’s comment on how any signals left by Goro’s presence were gone.

 

Akira opened his eyes for one second to stare at his gloves, the lovely crimson red color they were.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> goddammit, I did NOT intend for this chapter to be a good 4 weeks late  
> jesus christ I'm sorry for leaving you guys out of the loop for a while  
> i ended up having lots of shit happen between the end of september and now which included:  
> school giving way too much work  
> personal problems  
> and my shitty writing forcing me to rewrite the first half of this chapter three times  
> aah, sorry once again. but it's here! it's up! and unfortunately I'm following canon so what happens to Akechi is completely up to you and what you believe happened to him  
> thank you again for reading, once again sorry for the hiatus but I'll see you guys in the mini epilogue chapter (that hopefully won't take 3 weeks to write) which will close off To See In Color!


	7. Epilogue - Farewell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bittersweet goodbyes.

**March 19**

 

Bittersweet today was. A little more than a month had passed since Akira had been set free from solitary confinement. And that month had quickly gone by with him reenrolling in Shujin, even with him knowing he’d have to transfer out by the beginning of March, making up for the lost few months with his friends and enjoying the fresh air of freedom. It was strange though. The Phantom Thieves were back together but now that society had been reformed there were no Palaces to infiltrate, no Mementos Shadows to defeat and no gathering info on their next target. Despite how happy they all were with the world being at peace, their lives felt a little more boring than before. It took a little while for them to get back to normal lives but a day spent in Akihabara at the instance of Futaba, was enough to start the daily planning of activities leading up to Akira’s departure.

 

Morgana poked his head out of Akira’s bag and cleared his throat, sniffing the spring air, “you’ve got a lot of thanking to do. It’s really funny how a quiet, unsociable kid like you managed to get all these people to follow you.”

 

Akira chuckled in response, reaching back to scratch under Morgana’s neck, “you would be one of them, though you’re not a ‘person’ per se.”

 

“Hey! I’m still gonna try to be human! You better treat me with some respect!” He snorted and looked away with a huff.

 

Akira pulled out two pieces of paper from his pocket, the promise list he had gotten from Futaba and the recipe note from Sojiro, two of most likely many gifts he would be getting from the friends he made throughout his journey. He folded them up inside each other and buried them into his pocket again, adjusting his jacket and taking the first train to Shibuya.

 

He wanted to visit Lavenza first. Unlike most of his other friends whom he could see virtually at any time, Lavenza and Igor had been absent the entire month of February and he hadn’t seen them since Yaldabaoth’s fall. The minute he stepped off the train he had gone to see Haru who had been standing outside of Big Bang Burger and had gifted him a dyed handkerchief. He quickly dipped into the alleyway leading to Untouchable and met with Lavenza in front of the stony blue bars of the Velvet Room’s entrance.

 

Lavenza greeted him with a smile, looking up at him with those piercing yellow eyes, “…so, you have come to say farewell. I have some words of reflection to you in this time of parting. If one wishes to belong, they must be wiling to sacrifice their own needs and desires at times. Furthermore, one may even have to cast away their very selves for the sake of those who accompany them. In truth, I would have never come to learn these things if not for you. I pray you do not lose sight of yourself in the future.”

 

Akira nodded, unable to find anything more to say at the moment besides, “thank you.”

 

She stopped herself for a moment, “I have more than mere words to give you today though. Allow me to grant you a parting gift, not as the one who leads you, but simply as Lavenza.” Lavenza held out her hand, and in it was a small gray key, old and rusted over. “This is the key that has kept you imprisoned for so long. I am sorry I could not pass it down to you earlier.”

 

“It’ll be a nice keychain, a reminder sort of.” He chuckled in an attempts to lighten the mood and she giggled in response.

 

“There is one more gift I’d like to give to you. Kneel down for me, Trickster. It amazes me how tall you humans really are.”

 

Akira kneeled down and gave a quick look left and right to make sure nobody was watching him. It would be odd enough for him to be seen talking to a wall in the middle of Shibuya, but kneeling down waiting for something, something nobody but him could see, was quite strange.

 

Lavenza stepped forward and kissed his forehead gently. In that moment of contact, Akira felt something click in his head, gears turning and finally settling still. She backed away and held her hands behind her back as Akira stood back up.

 

“You may not notice it now, but I have gifted you the few remaining colors that you had yet to see up to this point.”

 

“So it was you.” Akira mumbled and Lavenza nodded.

 

“I foresaw everything that was to come and it… bothered me that you, the world’s savior, was to be given no reward for risking his life for the good of the people. You deserved something. I mustered what I could with my power to grant you something life changing.”

 

Akira reached out his hand to her and she took it. Her tiny fingers curled in his palm and he squeezed it, blinking several times. Akira stared at her for a second, admiring her long blonde hair and eyes and how they complimented the dark blue color palette of her clothing. It was all thanks to her that he was able to see the world like everyone else.

 

“Thank you. Thank you.”

 

“Thank _you_ , Trickster.”

\--

 

“Akira, not that we’re rushing, but where are we going?”

 

“We’ve got one more spot left.” Akira mumbled to the cat, gripping a bundle of flowers he had bought from the Underground Mall in Shibuya. After visiting all of his friends and receiving plenty of gifts and tearful goodbyes from them all, Akira stepped onto the train leading to Inokashira Park, Morgana completely unaware of what was going on.

 

“Last I checked, we said goodbye to everyone.” Morgana let out a puzzled mew and Akira shook his head.

 

“Not everyone.”

 

Morgana opted to keep his jaws shut, asking questions seemed to be doing the opposite for him. Akira strolled through the park, looking on at the rustling trees, their green leaves finally beginning to bloom a bit after winter’s passing. He stopped at a small bench, setting his bag down. On the side, there was a small patch of undisturbed ground where there was a few flowers planted, an orange, yellow and red one, though they looked a bit wilted, the petals beginning to peel.

 

“I asked Sae, she says there’s still no word on Akechi. Most of the police force is presuming him dead.” Akira began, digging up the old flowers and letting them lay on the side.

 

Morgana leaped out of the bag and finally put the pieces together. There would be a few times that Akira would step out of Leblanc after school, turn his phone off and disappear for a few hours, only to come back with clouded longing in his eyes. This was where he went.

 

“I feel like I still don’t know how you and the rest of the Thieves really feel about him which is why I avoided saying anything.” Akira reached over for his bundle of flowers and pulled out an orange, yellow and red one, and planted them close together. “I know you could basically call this a grave, you could say I’m giving up on him. ...I’m not giving up on him. I still believe he’s alive, but since I’m leaving today, this is probably the only sort of closure I can get.”

 

Morgana looked on, mouth dry.

 

“I just wanted to say goodbye to him, you know?”

 

Akira held the red flower in his fingertips for a split-second, remembering the bright crimson of his gloves as a Phantom Thief. Joker was gone though, as was Crow. Akira wasn’t gone, and he sure as hell believed Goro wasn’t gone. He closed his eyes, whispering something to himself before standing and flinging his bag over his shoulder. He gave the group of flowers one last glance before turning away and walking toward the subway station.

 

A minute after Akira had left, another person approached the bench, kneeling beside the group of flowers, smiling wistfully at the red. A hand reached over to feel the petals. They hummed and stood up, shoving their hands into their pockets and walking in the opposite direction.

 

“Goodbye, Akira.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT'S DONE! I said I was sticking to canon (which i guess technically I still am) but I'm going my own route and saying Akechi somehow survived and got out of Shido's Palace. screw details, he's alive in my head. but anyway!!
> 
> To See In Color has come to a close!
> 
> thank you all for reading! I hope you enjoyed!


End file.
